(Completed) Press Play {Kiribaku YouTuber AU}

18

Eitaro was waiting for them at the front door. When he saw them approaching, he grinned and opened it, stepping aside to let them in first. Kirishima faltered slightly as he stepped over the threshold, for a moment panic setting in until he was able to shove it back down into the pit of his stomach. He was going to do this. He wasn't about to quit now.

The house looked almost exactly the same as he remembered it. The only notable difference he could spot right off the bat was that there were more pictures lining the entryway wall. He recognized Tamiko even though it had been years since he'd seen her. Most of the photos were of her, but he saw some of him and Eitaro too.

He realized he'd been zoned out when voices started to sound from the living area. He tensed up, and suddenly Bakugo was there, placing his hand on the middle of his back. A silent show of support. Kirishima didn't know if he could ever express just how thankful he was for his support.

"We're back!" Eitaro called, hanging up his jacket and starting for the living room.

"Eitaro? Is he here?" A familiar girl's voice asked and then she was there, poking her head around the corner. Kirishima found himself floored by just how much she had grown since they'd last seen each other.

When he'd left home, she was only twelve years old. She'd still been in that awkward stage of life where you weren't quite used to your own limbs. She'd always been kind of awkward on her feet and gawky and far too tall for her age, but now she seemed to have grown into herself. She was still tall, but now she had the curves to balance it out. Her hair was just as straight and jet black as Eitaro's and his own natural color, but it was much longer. She broke into a huge grin when she spotted Kirishima and ran up to wrap her arms around him.

"Eijiro!" She exclaimed, practically buzzing with happiness. "I can't believe it's really you!"

"I--me either!" He laughed, awkwardly hugging her back. "You look different!"

Tamiko pulled back and smiled. "You mean I don't look like a twig anymore?"

"Uh, no, that's not what I--"

She laughed, reaching over to punch him on the arm. "It's cool. I looked like a twig, you can admit it." Her gaze drifted to Bakugo, who was looking more than a little awkward. However, her eyes widened in realization soon after looking him over, and Kirishima rushed to cover her mouth before she could say anything.

Instead, she said her exclamation into his hand, eyes still as wide as saucers. Bakugo was looking everywhere except for at her, his scowl so deep Kirishima worried it might become permanent. When he was sure she wasn't going to scream, he slowly moved his hand away. She pointed at him and stated bluntly, "You're Ground Zero."

Bakugo crossed his arms and met her eyes. "Yeah, and?"

"Ground Zero is in my house." Tamiko turned back to Kirishima and fake whispered to him. "You didn't kidnap him, did you?"

"What? No! Of course not!" Kirishima rubbed at his neck. "He's, uh...a friend of mine. We...worked together."

"Uh huh, okay." She was about to say something else when the rest of the family turned the corner to the entryway. Kirishima's smile faded, and without thinking, he took a small step backwards, towards Bakugo. He felt Bakugo's fingers lightly brush against his wrist, another silent assurance that he was there to offer his support.

"Eijiro," Akio Kirishima, his father greeted.

"Dad," Kirishima greeted back, forcing his voice to remain stable.

"It's...good to see you again." He said. "You dyed your hair."

"Yeah." Kirishima swallowed. The tension in the air was so thick it could be cut with a knife, which was probably why Eitaro picked that moment to break the ice. He clapped once, making everybody jump and turn to him.